I have pet phrases I don't like, and "smoked him" is one of them. I'm self-aware enough to realize that the negative emotions I feel towards those phrases hurts me more than the phrases can possibly hurt anything else. Most of us (me included) don't think too hard about the language we use in casual conversation. We regurgitate what we hear people we like say, or just what we hear a lot of. I've never sat down and watched an Alabama football game, but I still give a "Roll Tide" as a kind of "heck yeah" or "amen" because that's a meme that's deeply imbedded in my culture.
I think it's silly to think the phrases themselves are hurting hunting in any way. Now, maybe you could argue that the phrases' existence is symptomatic of some underlying problem with the sport. Lack of respect or whatever, but I don't think enough thought/effort is being put into it for that to be the case. You point one finger towards somebody, and 4 point back at you. The schisms we build are what is hurting hunting. Arguably, us-and-them is the root cause of most human suffering.
It really does all come down to the good ole Dislike of the Other. Specifically, I think, in this case, dislike of the people 10-20 years younger than you. I've been feeling it as I creep closer to 30 and have to put up with the highschool kids in my duck holes. The hardness of heart I feel towards those kids is way more detrimental to the sport than their youthful ignorance and grating enthusiasm.
And, I don't see how a phrase is more disrespectful than the fact that you went out of your way to take the life of an organism whose death gains you no survival advantage.